Revenue Controls 'Doing Leaders of Tomorrow a Disservice'

State-imposed revenue controls are inflicting serious harm upon children, schools and the quality of education in school districts throughout Wisconsin, according to a survey released Monday (January 29, 2001).

The WEAC/Wisconsin Association of School District Administrators annual survey of school superintendents found that revenue controls are forcing districts to make choices that decrease the quality of education.

"We are doing our leaders of tomorrow a disservice," said one administrator.

According to the statewide survey, 62% of school administrators believe the consequences of state-imposed revenue controls on the quality of education have been negative or very negative. Nearly 70% predict the quality of education in their districts will decline by 2005.

"Educators have been warning for years that revenue controls will force districts to make cuts that harm the quality of education children receive," WEAC President Terry Craney said. "This survey is absolute proof: administrators themselves say children are being hurt. It is time to end this destructive law."

The seventh annual survey found that revenue controls are forcing districts to:

• Continue to delay or spend less on maintenance of their buildings and grounds (65.9%)
• Delay or reduce the purchase of computers and other technology (67.3%)
• Increase class sizes (49.8%)
• Increase student fees (55.7%)
• Use their fund balance to support the budget (53.1%).

Districts with declining enrollments report more serious problems than districts with increasing numbers of students.

The WEAC/WASDA study supports an Institute for Wisconsin's Future report released last week, detailing the impact of revenue controls on districts throughout Wisconsin.

"Enough is enough," Craney said. "The facts are in and the evidence is irrefutable: revenue controls are harming children and the high quality of education in Wisconsin. Every child deserves to be in a classroom that works with a trained and qualified teacher. Great schools benefit our entire state, and every state resident should join the call to end revenue controls."

Some of the comments from administrators in the WEAC/WASDA survey:

• "We are doing our leaders of tomorrow a great disservice."
• "No money, no programs."
• "We have been using imagination, reform, renewal and more efficient strategies for three years but we have hit a point of diminishing returns. No way to go but back to strategies like excluding, cutting programs, increase size of classes."
• "By 2004 we will have 'tightened' the budget and streamlined programs and will have nothing else to cut but core instructional programs."
• "Continued caps will require cutting the 'meat' since the 'fat' is gone."
• "We have done about all of the restructuring we can. There are no other steps to take. We are approaching very serious times."

The WEAC/WASDA report is available online at www.weac.org. WEAC will release another study looking at specific school districts and the damage they have suffered under revenue controls in the near future.

The report
Resource page on school district revenue controls

Posted January 29, 2001